It’s only February, but more than 422,000 litres of raw sewage have already leaked from Winnipeg’s sewage system into the Red River so far this year as a result of five separate incidents that occurred at five different locations over the past two months.

The most recent leak happened on Sunday, when tens of thousands of litres of raw sewage flowed from Winnipeg’s Glenelm neighbourhood into the Red River. The leak was the result of two fire hydrants having been opened, with the water from those hydrants draining into a combined sewer outfall.

This is far from an unusual situation. In fact, sewage leaks occur with such frequency in Manitoba’s capital city that the City of Winnipeg has a web page dedicated to reporting leaks.

While the leaks most directly impact communities downstream of Winnipeg, as well as the ecology of the Red River and Lake Winnipeg, they also create serious financial consequences for the City of Winnipeg.

In the summer of 2023, when Manitoba’s New Democrats were still in opposition, they warned that the (then) Progressive Conservative government was planning to implement surge pricing for electricity provided by Manitoba Hydro.

Manitoba Hydro had just released an “energy road map” that included attracting investment to expand the power grid, attracting green industries, and providing incentives — including smart meters that make surge pricing possible — to encourage Manitobans to use less power during peak times.

Under a surge pricing system, Hydro customers would be charged a higher rate during times of the day when electricity is in high demand, and lower rates when demand is lower.

In response to the Tories’ plan, NDP Hydro critic Adrien Sala said that “The PCs’ surge pricing plan is a tax on your energy when you need it most — on the coldest days and the coldest nights — and it means Manitobans will pay even more to heat their homes if Heather Stefanson is re-elected.”